Automatic stop-motion for knitting-machines.



I No. 853,032.

- fiyi [Z V W PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

J. ,BQRHoDBs. AUTOMATIC STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1906.

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No. 853,032. I PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

' -J. B. RHODES.

AUTOMATIG STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION rum) snug. 1906.

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45 5 Z9 Lisa ail? filoaes UNTTE STATES PATENT FFTCE.

AUTOMATIC STOP-MOTION FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed September 4,1906- Serial No. 333,118.

To (l/ZZ whom, at may concern.-

Be it known that I, JosEPH B. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stop- Motions for Knitting-Machines; and I do declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in yarn controllers for textile machinery, and more particularly to an automatic stop motion for rib knitting machines.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and efiicient mechanism of this character, by means of which the machine will be automatically stopped when the yarn becomes knotted or tangled, or when it is stretched too tight, means being-provided whereby sufficient slack will be given the tangled or knotted yarn to prevent the same from breaking and to prevent the goods from running out of the machine before the latter is brought to a standstill.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying draWings,Figure 1- is a perspective view of a mechanism embodying the invention Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the same; Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal sectional view, taken on the plane indicated by the line 33 in Fig. 2, and showing the trip in its lowered position; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the trip releasers and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the construction of one of the yieldable guides for the yarn.

Referring to the drawing by numeral, 1 de notes a portion of the frame of a rib knitting machine, and 2 denotes the controlling device of the machine, by means of which it may be stopped. These parts are illustrated conventionally, and the controller 2 is here shown as an upright rotary element ,carrying a cross pin 3.

The improved stop mechanism 4 is supported from the frame 1 by a bracket 5, detachably secured thereon by set-screws or the like. Extending vertically through an opening in the bracket arm 5 and adjustable tends.

vertically therein by set-screws 6 is an upright support 7, which has fixed upon its lower end a cross-head 8, on which the yarn bobbins 9 are mounted. Fixed upon the upper portion of the support or upright 7 is a cross-bar or yoke 10 having at its ends vertically-extending notches or slots 1 1 to receive the yarn and to serve as detectors for knots, slugs, motes and other abnormal enlargements in the'yarn. This cross-bar or yoke 10 is secured to or formed upon a block or head 12, through which the support 7 ex- Pivoted at 13 upon opposite sides of the block or head 12 are trip devices 14, which are held normally in an inoperative position by the tension of the yarn and which when released by the latter descend and disengage a latch device 15 from a drop weight 16, which latter in turn descends and actuates a lever 17 mounted upon the frame 1 for engagement with the cross-pin 3 of the controller 2.

Each of the trip devices 14, as here shown, comprises a pivotally mounted head carrying a weighted arm 18 and a hook-shaped arm 19. The arms 19 swing between guide pins 20 and the opposite faces of a block or head 21, fixed upon the support 7 above the block 12, said pins 21 projecting from a cross bar 22 arranged upon the block 21. The outwardly-bent upper ends of the arms 18 swing between guide hooks 23, arranged in pairs upon the trip releasing device 24, in the form of plates, pivoted at 25, upon the cross-bar 20, so as to swing outwardly. The bottom and inner edges of the trip plates 24 are recessed as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, to fit the head or block 21, and the pairs of guide hooks 23 project inwardly for a purpose presently explained. The weighted arms 18 of the trips 14 are adapted to drop upon the outwardly-bent ends or projections 26 of the latch 15. The latter is in the form of a substantially U-shaped plate, the parallel arms 27 of which are pivoted at 28, upon the opposite sides of the block or head 12. The connecting portion 29 of the U-shaped latch plate 15, is adapted to have its inner edge seat in an annular notch 30, formed in the drop weight 16, so as to hold the latter elevated. The latch 15 is forced upwardly by springs 31, secured upon the sides of the block or head 12, and projecting through apertures in the outwardly-bent ends 26 of the latch, as shown in Fig. l. The drop weight 16 is here shown in the form of a cylin- IIO drical rod mounted to slide vertically in alining openings in the blocks 12 and 21, and so disposed as to engage and operate the lever 17 when the latch 15 is disengaged from-its notch 30. This lever 17 is pivoted intermediate its ends vupon a bracket 32 on the frame 1, and has a beveled or cam end 33 to engage the cross-pin 3, the opposite end of the lever 17 being flattened and disposed in the path of the drop weight. Arranged upon the support 7 'at a suitable distance above the block 21 is an arm 34, which has mounted upon its opposite ends yieldable guides 35. These elements are here shown in the form of hooks pivoted upon screws 36 and between l'riction washers 37, arranged upon said screws. Tension springs 38 are arranged between the heads of the screws and the outermost washers, so as to force the latter against the hooks or supporting element, and thus hold them in their normal horizontal positions.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The yarn passes from the bobbins 9 forwardly through the detectors 11, then up wardly and inwardly through the hooks 23 and over the bent upper end of the trip arm 19, then upwardly over the guides 35 on the ends of the arm 34, and then downwardly to the machine, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The yarn in passing from the detectors 11 to the guides 35 on the adjacent end of the arm 34 travels in an angular direction, the latter being caused by the trip releasing plates 24, and when a knot, tangle or other enlargement upon the yarn reaches the detector 11, the portion of the yarn between the latter and the machine becomes stretched so that the portion between the parts 11 and 35 becomes straightened, and hence swings one of the trip releasing plates 24 outwardly. When one of the latter is thus actuated, its trip device 14 is freed by the yarn, and the weighted arm 1.8 descends and forces the latch 15 downwardly against the tension of its actuating spring 31. When the latch. 15 is thus swung downwardly, it disengages the notch 31 in the drop weight 16, and the latter is allowed to drop upon the lever 17. The movement imparted to the lever by the drop weight causes its end 35 to move the crosspin 3 and hence rotate the controller 2 to stop the machine. After the trip releaser 24 has been actuated, as before described, the continued operation of the machine, owing to its momentum, will continue to stretch the yarn until the direction elements 35 are swung downwardly to free the elevated portion of the yarn. This portion of the yarn being thus freed, provides sufiicient slackness in the yarn to prevent the breaking of the yarn and to prevent the goods from running out of the machine. This mechanism is eflective for stopping the machine when the yarn becomes stretchedtoo tight, tangled or knotted, as either of these conditions will cause the yarn to break or the tension to increase and the trip device 14 to be freed. This mechanism will also automatically stop the rib machine when the yarn is entirely unwound i'rom the cone or bobbin, that is, when. the end of the yarn is reached.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inven tion will be readily understood without requiring a more extended. explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is,-

1. In a stop motion for a textile machine, the combination of a knot catcher, a yarn guide movable in one direction by the yarn when the latter is under abnormal tension, and a trip device to cause the machine to stop, said trip device being normally held in inoperative position by the yarn, and movable in a plane at an angle to that of the plane of movement of the movable guide, and disengaged from and released by the yarn when abnormal tension on the yarn causes the yarn guide to move.

2. In a stop motion for a textile machine, the combination of a knot catcher, a trip releaser having a yarn guide, said trip releaser being movable in one direction by the yarn when the latter is under abnormal tension, and a trip device to cause the machine to stop, said trip device being normally held in inoperative position by the yarn, and movable in a plane at an angle to that of the plane of movement of the movable guide and disengaged from and released by the yarn when abnormal tension on the yarn causes the yarn guide to move.

3. In a stop motion for a textile machine, the combination of a drop weight to cause the machine to stop, a latch to support said drop weight in a raised position, a movable trip device for the latch, a yarn guide having movement in a plane at an angle to that of the plane of movement of the trip device, and a yarn catcher, said yarn guide being movable in one direction by the yarn when the latter is under abnormal tension, and said trip device being normally held in operative position by the yarn, and being disengaged from and released by the yarn when abnormal tension on the latter causes the yarn guide to move.

4. In a stop motion for a textile machine, the combination of a controller to sto the machine, a lever to actuate said contro ler, a knot catcher, a drop weight to operate the lever, a latch to normally support the Weight In testimony whereof I have hereunto set in an elevated position, a yarn guide movmy hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- [o able in one direction by the yarn when the nesses. latter is under abnormal tension and a trip device for the latch, normally engaged by the JOSEPH RHODES yarn and movable when disengaged there- Witnesses: from in a plane at an angle to that of the WILLIAM E. ATTIGK,

plane of movement of the yarn guide. E. M. SNAVELY. 

